Farooq Abdullah Reaffirms NC’s Demand for Restoration of J&K Special Status

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday reiterated that restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status remains the party’s top political priority, saying the NC will not abandon its demand despite the Centre’s 2019 changes.

Jammu and Kashmir is currently a Union Territory with a legislature, rather than a full-fledged state. The region was reorganised into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in August 2019 after the Centre effectively ended the special constitutional arrangement under Article 370. The Supreme Court in December 2023 upheld the abrogation and directed that J&K’s statehood be restored.

The 2024 Assembly elections returned an elected government headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, but statehood has not yet been restored. The Union Territory framework also leaves key powers, including public order and police, outside the elected government’s control.

Special status under the former Article 370 framework meant that Jammu and Kashmir had a distinct constitutional relationship with India. Before 2019, it had its own Constitution and greater autonomy over several matters, while Parliament’s legislative reach was more restricted than in other states. Article 35A also enabled the state legislature to define permanent residents and provide them certain special rights. These provisions were subsequently removed or rendered inoperative.

Abdullah said the NC would continue its political struggle for restoring these constitutional rights and fulfil commitments made to the people. He also called for a strongly mandated elected government with adequate powers to address development and governance concerns.

The demand has support among several opposition parties, but their positions are not identical. Congress has consistently demanded restoration of full statehood, most recently calling for it to be done immediately and unconditionally in August 2026. However, Congress has not adopted the NC’s demand for restoration of Article 370 as its central current position. The PDP, meanwhile, continues to advocate restoration of Article 370 and 35A, while the NC-Congress alliance remains united on the broader demand for restoring statehood. Abdullah also appealed for political unity, stronger democratic institutions, peace, social harmony and development in Jammu and Kashmir.